Help! Very sick Chicken!

k8ethor

In the Brooder
7 Years
Aug 8, 2012
14
0
25
Symptoms:
-36 hours ago became very lethargic, eyes closed, head down, not standing, walking or eating (up until then she seemed a-ok).
-This morning had what looked like a seizure (head back, eyes rolling around, flapping wings and trying to walk but her legs weren't working, then began heavy breathing)
-At first she seemed to have diarrhea, but has not pooed since yesterday(she had poo stuck to her bottom when I first noticed that something was wrong.
-she seemed over all healthy (good weight, no loss of color in her comb)

I have her inside and have been giving her water with electrolytes. Yesterday I started treating her for coccidosis because a local expert thought that was what was wrong with her. I just started giving her a vitamin supplement (the man at the feed store thought it could be a vitamin deficiency) with sugar water (and the antibiotics for Coccidosis). She just ate a bit of scrambled eggs and seems a little more alert...

She is a 7 month old barred rock, one of my two favorites. None of the others seem to be sick.
At first I thought she could be egg bound since they recently started laying, but could not feel anything when I checked.
This is my first time raising chickens...
Any advice would be appreciated!
 
Not sure if this is the same thing, but I lost two chickens which exhibited very similar symptoms (minus the seizures, I didn't see any of those) as what you're describing. In my case, I think they got into some wild mushrooms which I've since discovered were poisonous after a quick check of a mushroom ID book. I haven't had any other sick birds since I went around and shoveled up all the mushrooms on the property. The mushrooms were in a place where I'd noticed the two sick hens napping and foraging the day before, so I'm 90% sure that's what happened. My birds free range during the day...if yours are as well might be worth taking a look around for mushrooms.
 
We don't have any mushrooms around right now...
Thanks for the tip though... maybe she got into something else in the yard. I don't know of anything around that would be toxic to chickens? I am hoping it is not merreck's disease :(
 
There's a really good list of toxic plants for chickens on this forum, just search "toxic plants". The symptoms you described are very similar to what happens to goats that eat too much of a certain type of fern over a long period of time, maybe it's something like that? There's also a ton of threads on here specifically about Marek's disease....
 
Thank you!
She is not really acting lethargic anymore... She had another "seizure" and now she has been pecking the air, and she is looking around somewhat franticly and closing one eye! I am really worried for her. I can't watch her like this much longer :(
I really don't know what to do for her. It is hard to believe it is a vitamin deficiency...
 

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